Desolation Comes Upon the Sky

Meta Fiction

August 20th, 2010
Lebanon, Kansas

Alex awoke to darkness. She groped blindly outwards, knocking a book off of her nightstand before she flicked on her lamp. Her room came into view, the pile of dirty clothes and old books tucked against the dresser casting long shadows on the floor, and the ex-angel groaned at the mess. She swung her legs out over the side of the bed, and a much louder groan escaped her at the soreness in her ribs; her scrap with Sister Agnes had not been without its consequences.

She could hear the shower turn off as she stepped out of her room, and the ex-angel slowly made her way down towards the library. She yawned, and her hand came up to sooth her bruised jaw; it was healing, but not fast enough, and the purple splotches were beginning to turn a sickly yellow-green.

"Alright. Thanks, Carlos." Sam's voice reached her ears, and Alex stepped out of the hallway to find the Winchester seated at the war room table. "Listen, you, uh, if you catch wind of any other demon activity, give me a holler, alright? Appreciate it." He hung up as Alex sat down across from him. "Hey. Dean still in the shower?"

"Yeah. It sounded like he was almost done, though." Alex trailed off as footsteps approached, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Dean Winchester enter the room, moisture still clinging to his hair.

"Anything?" The Winchester sat down at the head of the table, and Alex shifted away from him; he hadn't been pleased at their return two days ago, and even less pleased that Sam had refused to put her back in the dungeon, and since then, Alex had been doing her damnedest to avoid him.

Sam shrugged, oblivious to the ex-angel's discomfort. "Yeah. A dozen demon-related cases, people without souls acting out, but ..."

"But no sign of Abaddon," Dean finished disparagingly.

"Right." Sam pulled his laptop closer, and Alex dropped her gaze down to her phone as she felt the eldest brother's eyes turn onto her. "Looks like she's vanished." He sighed, and Alex echoed him, dropping her head onto the table; after St. Bonaventure, the Winchesters had redoubled their efforts on tracking down Abaddon, but even with their new lead, the hunt still seemed to be dwindling.

"So, I guess we'll just have to keep on digging." Alex glanced up towards Dean to find him rubbing at his forearm, and her eyebrows knit together in concern. "Dean. You okay?"

The Winchester blinked in surprise and pulled his arm away. "Yeah. I'm fine." His response was cold and pointed, and the ex-angel dropped her gaze. "Let's get to work."

He rose to his feet, but Alex's phone vibrated loudly within her hands, drawing his attention back onto her. Alex jumped to answer the call, turning away so Dean couldn't see her face. "Cas? Hey, what's up?" She leaned forward in her chair, her voice low in a hushed whisper.

"Are you with Sam and Dean?" Alex heard a door swing open and shut from the other end of the line, and she grunted out her affirmation. "I've caught wind of something in Utah. I heard a call — a sort of summons for angels — but when I got there, over a dozen angels had been slaughtered. One of the survivors said that an angel offered them a place in heaven if they joined Metatron, and he butchered those who refused. From his description, I believe him to be Gadreel."

"Gadreel?" Alex's eyes widened in surprise. "You think Gadreel is working for — for Metatron?" A kick on her shins had her looking over at Sam, and she quickly set her phone down on the table and placed it on speaker phone. "Hey, Sam and Dean are here. Tell them what you just told me."

Castiel repeated his discovery. "I don't know how long the two have been partners," he finished, "but they are."

"So, Metatron made Gadreel kill Kevin?" The table creaked as Dean leaned forward onto it, and Alex leaned away from the hunter.